Night's Omen

Adam sat on the seat of his black Aprilia RSV1000R, a bike affectionately coined 'Dark Lion', helmet hooked on the passenger side handlebar as he gave his wallet a quick glance. He shifted uncomfortably in his riding jacket in the heat of the parking garage, and unzipped it while he rocked forward and put his wallet back in place.

He looked around for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of other Frost hunters coming and going, and sighed thoughtfully. He was almost tempted to go buy a few things for his new apartment, but he wasn't really too into shopping. What he needed was a girl - they were always good at that sort of thing. Aurora, however, would beat him up if she even knew he'd bought this bike. What to do, what to do...

Well, Adam was in luck. Or possibly the opposite; it depended on how you looked at things. Still, in either case, Hailee was there. She'd been one of the ones entering and exiting the guildhouse - and when she'd noticed him, she'd peeled off from the crowd and walked over. "Hey, hot stuff," she said with a grin. "And really, I do need to get me one of those." She gave his bike an appreciative glance as she did so.

"You headed somewhere?"

~*~*~

If... erm, you don't want them to know each other, then I can edit my post. Or keep it basically the same and watch reactions. *laughs*

Adam almost blushed when Hailee called him hot stuff, but he figured it'd be unwise to give the cute hunter any sort of advantage in that area. Instead he laughed a little and flashed her a cheesy grin. "You know it."

He shifted his weight on the bike and leaned back a little, kicking his feet up on the bars and gave her a lazy look. "I don't know about a 1000, but I could see you kicking around on a little 600. Capri had one, but I think she sold it after she wrecked her other one. Or she might not have. I don't remember." He looked thoughtful and paused.

"I bet your brother would react as well as my sister if they found out we had bikes, though," he said with a chuckle. "And, back on topic, I was going to go look for stuff I need to buy for my new apartment. Can't live here forever. I know I can't carry much on the bike but I can easily con my dad into letting me borrow his truck. I really need to get something besides this thing," he muttered. "Anyways, I realized halfway through planning this out that... I have no idea what I need. I'm a guy. I'd be happy with a beanbag chair and some beer."

He looked helplessly at Hailee.

"Eh, even if I didn't provide him with ammunition, Alex would find something to worry about. Honestly, I don't know how he does it. It would drive me nuts, honest it would. Me, I figure most of the time if you're worrying then there's a very simple solution - go and kill whatever it is." She laughed when she said that, so she was joking. Right? Yea, she had to be.

Didn't she?

"Oooo, you're going shooooping?" she teased, drawing out the last word. "Adam, I never knew you were interested. You should have told me AGES ago." She laughed when he finished his statement. "Yea, I guess. Don't you have any idea what you want, though?"

The funny thing was Adam felt exactly the same way. Kill it and it won't bother you any more. It's the only insurance a man had in this day and age. He shifted again on the bike and grinned at her some more as she began to tease him.

"And I take it shopping is your second profession to hunting? You couldn't be more different than most women who try to take on this profession. Actually, you're a lot less butch than I think I expected when I first met you. And shorter." It was his turn to tease.

"So how 'bout it? You want to come with me? I'll let you ride on the biii-iiike," he said, like he was offering the fruit from the tree of knowledge to her. Actually, the Aprilia was an impressive bike, even if it was overpriced and European. It had been an upgrade from the old GS500 he'd had for pretty much ever - another thing Aurora didn't know about. That was between him and his dad. The women would have had panic attacks.

If they only knew the bike was the least dangerous thing about his day.

"Oh, it's not just my second job, it's my first love." She sighed dramatically. "Sorry to dissapoint you, I know you wanted that position yourself. But shopping... ah. There can be no other." She winked, then punched him good naturedly on the shoulder when he called her short.

"I am not, you're just freakishly large. You're gonna have to accept that sooner or later, honey. And I simply enjoy some of the finer points of civilization. One of those points is Prada.

"You want me to come? Sure I'll come! Honestly, you had to ask? Besides, I get to riiiiiiiiide. You know. The bike." Deliberate pause? Oh yes. She wanted to make Adam blush - she'd done it before, and it was fun.

She grabbed the extra helmet and climbed on. "Where to?"

~*~*~

omg, she's like Belinda. Only violent. *dies*

Adam choked on the gum he'd been chewing as she accused him of wanting the position of her first love, and coughed a few times before he spit it out. "I beg to differ, ma'am!" he objected as she punched him. He tried to move out of the way, but his "freakishly large" form was pretty stuck on the bike at the moment, even if the kickstand was down.

"Yeah, you get to ride the bike," he replied dryly, looking back at her before he put his helmet back on. "Now let's just see if you can stay on the back," he retorted, making a face at her. "Rules are simple. When I lean, you lean with me. You can hold on, but don't squeeze. I know you're like a super-human and all, but I promise if you fall it will hurt. Good?" Once he'd been satisfied she understood, which wasn't a big worry for him because Hailee didn't get this far with a lack of brain power, he turned back around and put his helmet on.

He started the bike and pulled out of the parking garage, and gave Capricia the returned bird as she flipped them off when she rode by on her own bike (she obviously hadn't sold the 600, it seemed). It was plain to see she was smiling though, and shot Hailee a big thumbs up and made a little 'naughty' finger at her. Capricia was teasing her, now, too!

It wasn't long before they were in traffic, trying to get to the first store Hailee had shouted between red lights. Adam was thankful for home delivery, that was certain, because he had a feeling that Hailee was born to decorate, too.

Hailee laughed at making him choke - she loved doing that. Really. She stuck her tongue out at Capri good naturedly as they rode past, and then got to work leaning with Adam. She may have been super-human, after all, but she didn't like road rash any better then anyone else - she knew it would be painful. Did she want that? No.

They arrived before long at the first location she had named, good. She swung her leg over the bike and climbed off. "So," she asked as she took off the helmet, "don't you have any idea of what you want? Come on, what space do you have, what do you need, what's your favorite color?"

"Oh my god!" Adam cried as she began attacking him with questions. His helmet wasn't even all the way off yet. He shut his visor and yanked it off, then opened the visor again, giving his hand room to loop around the portion that covered his jaw so he could carry it.

"I don't know what I want. I like, uh, black and silver? I guess, I mean, I don't think I really have a favourite." He shrugged, not sure if anyone'd ever asked him that question before. Did he have a favourite colour? "I have a large amount of space to work with. It'll be the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. It's a big apartment. I got lucky."

Yeah he did. He should have been paying upwards 3,000 a month in rent, but he'd agreed to pay half that as long as he kept the building free of... pests.

Hailee cocked an eyebrow at him when he mentioned the kind of space he had to work with, then whistled in appreciation. "Well I'm jealous. How'd you land a place like that?" Her expression grew slightly more contemplative. "It must cost an arm and a leg though." She sighed a little. "Still, pity. If I show up randomly on your doorstep, don't be too surprised, m'k?" A slow, slightly wicked smile spread over her face. "Of course, if you have that kind of space then you're going to need more then a nightstand and a couch. C'mon, let's go get you some furnature. And as long as we're here... how about some clothes? Not that what you're wearing is bad or anything, but it could be... improved upon."

She laughed and ran off towards the doors, ponytail swinging side to side in time with her gait.

~*~*~

Gah, ya think I took long enough? I do too much. T_T I need more freeee tiiiiiime!!!

"And just WHAT the hell is wrong with my clothing?" he demanded, stopping in his tracks. It was no use, though. Hailee had already bounded ahead to maul a salesperson. By the time he got there, he was afraid she might have already bought something. She scented a sale like sharks scented blood in the water; it was really... disturbing.

"What's wrong with just a couch and a nightstand? I can put things on the nightstand, and sleep on the couch. Plus, it doubles as a seating arrangement. Why would I need anything else?" Adam was also the type of person who didn't understand the need for more than one towel. And he only had one towel, come to think of it. One very old towel.

"And the apartment I got a break on. I guess it helps if the owner of the building likes to keep it... secure. I'd tell you that you'd be able to get the same kind of gig, but then you'd be encroaching on my territory, and that wouldn't be cool."

He paused next to a nice queen bed, fashioned in black, and tilted his head. It wasn't a four-post, which was cool, because he always bumped those things in the dark and they hurt when you ran into them hard enough. It was simple, boxy.. sort of.. Eastern.

"What about this? Or is this not 'fashionable' enough?" he teased.

"What's wrong with just a couch and a nightstand? I can put things on the nightstand, and sleep on the couch. Plus, it doubles as a seating arrangement. Why would I need anything else?"

"And that is what is wrong with it," she teased. "Come on, if you don't want furnature then you should have either lied about how much space you had or avoided me altogether. I'm afraid you can't escape it now."

He was doomed.

Hailee was examining lamps when he called her back over to examine the bed he was looking at. "What about this? Or is this not 'fashionable' enough?"

"Oo, so that's the style you're looking for. Ok, I have something to go off now. The bed is..." she paused for effect, looking it over critically, then grinned at him. "It's fine. If that's what you want, though.... Here, come here." Not that she left him much choice - even as she was speaking she'd grabbed his hand and was towing him off to see a little coffee table. It was in much the same style as the bed - a simple, elegent, square of black - and then while he was just looking she snagged one of the lamps she'd been looking at off the shelf. Black and silver, just like he'd said, and it matched the table and the bed. "And then if you get these, those chairs would work well," she said, pointing at some.

He followed her wordlessly, and grabbed a salesman. "Anything she points to, get it ready to be rung up," he said under his breath to him, and then shoved him off. He didn't want Hailee to know he thought all of her choices were good.

"Wait, chairs? What do I need chairs for?" he demanded, throwing his hands up. The thought of having a kitchen never occurred to him, despite the fact that the apartment did come with a formal dining area that wasn't IN the kitchen space. He figured he'd just put a pool table there and call it a day. Not that he... had many friends to come play pool with. But he was single and needed a pool table. It was a man law!

"Yes, chairs," Hailee said with a roll of her eyes. "Come on Adam, you need chairs. And a table. I refuse to let you eat off the top of a cardboard box - and knowing you, that's what you would do, if left to your own devices." She glanced over for a second, at something that had caught her eye. "And actually, more chairs then just some for the dining room probably wouldn't hurt. I mean, isn't it like some kind of rule that you guys HAVE to have a big, comfy, leather recliner-type? It's like a remote; you have to have it so that you can hog it. I think that one is kinda nice, don't you?" It looked nice too; that was always a bonus. "And... oo, hey, look at that clock!"

It was a wallclock, fairly big and very modern looking. Black and silver, boxy - but in a good way. He was going to have matching EVERYTHING by the time she was done here. Oo, rugs.

"What kind of floors do you have?" she asked him. "Tile, hardwood, carpet...?"

"Egh, I don't like leather chairs like that. I mean, you fall asleep in front of the TV and when you wake up you're stuck to it and you have all those lines on you..." he trailed off. His eyes travelled around where she dragged him to the appointed 'chair area' which was a huge section of the store that was nothing but a sea of recliners.

"How about that one?" he asked, pointing to a huge squishy plush-looking recliner. "Oh, and my floors are hardwood, but I want carpet. I'm getting a dark grey carpet put in like.. in three days. But the kitchens and bathrooms are still tile."